The Flight
by AvaOakheart
Summary: Alfred has lived in a facility all of his life. When he finally escapes, his freedom may be taken away from his grasp when he is found by one of the guards. However fate is smiling down upon the child and adventure is sure to follow. Now it's a game of cat and mouse, and the facility will do anything to get Alfred back.
1. Chapter 1

_(Hi this is Ava! This is my very first fan fiction. You have been warned!_

 _Also the characters obviously don't belong to me, and as I don't know what else to say that will be all.)_

 **The Flight**

Chapter 1

The air rushed past Alfred's face and through his messy, wheat-gold hair. Laughter bubbled up from within him at the pure freedom that came with the wind and the smell of fresh air - not the stale, chemical scented air that the facility had that seemed to only make one feel more trapped.

In a way, Alfred was almost thankful for the facility. If he hadn't been stuck in that suffocating environment for so long then he would not have felt so free when he escaped. Alfred would not have looked up at the stars and the moon with awe or almost cried when his feet had first touched actual grass and dirt.

Granted, he had only been free for about fifteen minutes and even now he could hear the sound of his captor gaining behind him. His boots crunched twigs and branches as he approached the cliff where Alfred stood, still drunk on his newfound freedom.

"Get back down here!" The man bellowed and the boy spun around. Their eyes met. One pair filled with terror and the other filled with regret. The man knew that if he didn't get the subject back, someone would have to pay for the loss of such a promising specimen. That person would most likely be him.

To be honest the man hated his job. He had seen many "specimens" die in the facility; most of them hadn't even been above the age of five. Those that survived were just shells. All the humanity was sucked out of them.

Now, staring into the deep blue eyes of this child, the man steeled his nerves and pointed his gun at the boy. "Come quietly and no one has to get hurt!"

The boy stepped back. He was now at the very edge of the cliff. Below loomed the black waters of the ocean.

Alfred looked down and bit back tears. He had tasted freedom. He had been so close to escaping only to be stopped by the mocking ocean that surrounded the small island where the facility was located. There was no escape. There was no hope.

At that thought Alfred could no longer hold back the tears and only barely registered when his feet gave out from under him and he fell to his knees.

The man was a bit shocked at the sight. Against his better judgement, he approached the small boy. The child must have been six or seven years old at the most. Too young to have been through what he had.

Tentatively, the man set down his gun and slowly pulled the small boy into a hug. The boy tensed at his touch but put up no resistance, his spirit broken.

"I..it's okay… Please don't cry. I promise…it'll be okay," the man cooed softly. Honestly, the man knew he shouldn't have been making promises he couldn't keep.

Yet, this boy had broken through the many barriers the man had set. All of the children who had died, all of the blank faces of those who survived… The man could see them all in this small boy who had just a few minutes ago experienced, probably for the first time in his life, pure joy; had just seen his hope crushed and tossed out into the sea.

The man tried to think of what to say the the sobbing form, but words had never come easily to him. So instead he just held the child in complete silence. He didn't know how long they had sat there. It seemed like hours yet at the same time like seconds. It all ended too soon though.

The dogs in the distance had been the first warning that others had joined the search for the boy. At the first howl, the boy had looked up, panicked, and stared into the man's eyes in fear and with what could have been his last shred of hope.

The man looked down at the boy and something in his mind hardened. He would not let this boy be taken. After all these years, he would at least try to save one of these poor souls. There wasn't much time though.

With very little effort the man picked up the small bundle and hid him under his rather big coat before racing down the side of the cliff to where he knew the boats were kept.

Making sure to keep away from the other guards, he drew near to a small motor boat that had once been a coast guard boat. It wasn't much, but all the other boats would be too noticable out on the sea.

The man set the boy down in the corner and held up a finger over his mouth in a gesture of silence. The boy, seeming to understand, nodded and covered his mouth with a small hand before his eyes widened in fear at something over the man's shoulder.

Spinning around, the man saw the outline of another guard, his friend in fact. They stared at each other for a few moments before his friend spoke.

"You have little time. I will distract the others as you make your escape."

The man nodded and started up the boat. Before setting out to the open seas, he turned around to gaze one last time at his friend.

His friend had always been reserved and respectful. Never had he seen his composure slip. He also knew what would become of his friend should the other find out about his treachery.

"Come with us!" The man spoke in a hurried whisper.

His friend just shook his head and stepped back. "I cannot."

"Why not?!" The man almost hissed.

His friend simply pointed at the small child who still had his small hands covering his mouth. "Because, Ludwig, there may be more like the child, and maybe I can help them as you have helped this child."

Ludwig scowled. "Kiku…"

His words were cut off though by shouting.

"Go!" Kiku shouted. "And whatever you do…don't look back!"

Ludwig nodded sadly and sped off with the child. Gunshots rang out behind him and the child let out a muffled shriek of fear. Ludwig remained stone faced until they had traveled a safe distance, and then the tears started to fall.

Alfred had been silent while all of this had gone down. Now he stared at his once captor, now savior. He was very confused. First the man had pointed a gun at him and threatened to take him back to the facility. Now he had whisked him away from that awful place, at great personal cost to himself. Now the man was crying, so Alfred did the only thing he could think of.

Ludwig was rather shocked, to say the least, when the boy had hugged him. A sense of _deja vu_. What surprised him more was when the child spoke.

"Thank you…and.. I..I'm sorry." The boy burrowed his head into Ludwig's stomach.

Ludwig smiled sadly down at the boy before hastily drying his face. "It's..it's ok."

Bending down he ruffled the boy's hair. "I think we might need some introductions. I'm Ludwig."

Alfred smiled shyly. "A-Alfred. Um...if you don't mind me asking…Ludwig…why did you save me?"

Ludwig was silent for a moment before responding. "I suppose because no one should ever have to live like that." Standing up, Ludwig recomposed himself. "Now, I'm sure that you're tired from your ordeal. I suggest you get some shut-eye. We won't reach land till early in the morning."

Alfred looked up at Ludwig curiously. "What then?"

Ludwig shrugged. "I suppose we will have to wing it."

Alfred nodded and shuffled tiredly off to a corner before falling asleep.

Ludwig looked down at Alfred for a while before taking off his heavy coat and laying it over the small form. Internally he promised himself that he would protect the child. He didn't know how, but he would.

No matter the cost.


	2. Chapter 2

_(Hi, Ava here! Hope you all enjoy this chapter._

 _Once again, I don't own the characters. Have fun reading it though.)_

 **The Flight**

Chapter 2

Alfred sat, watching Ludwig like a hawk. It had been a few hours since the boat had broken down, and since Ludwig's ensuing panic attack. The man had only calmed down upon discovering what he called an "instruction manual," under one of the boat seats. Since then, Ludwig had been carefully examining each page of the book as though the secrets to the world were hidden within.

To be honest, Alfred found little use in the "instruction manual," especially after Ludwig had informed him that he was not allowed to try to eat it. Oh yeah. They were out of food, too.

Ludwig looked up hopefully at the sound of a large growl. Had by some miracle the engine begun again?! Sadly, no. The source of the growl instead seemed to be emanating from Alfred's stomach. Honestly, how could such a loud noise come from someone so small?

Ludwig sighed in defeat and tossed the book aside. It hadn't been as much use as he had hoped. No matter what he did, the engine simply refused to start. Ludwig had dissected the manual three times to no avail. Now, at the end of all that work they were still stranded in the middle of the ocean with no food, no map, and no working engine.

If Alfred hadn't been present, Ludwig probably would have started hitting the motor with the cursed manual. However, he suspected that Alfred was still a bit jumpy from his life in the facility. The boy would flinch at any sudden movements or loud sounds. Alfred had almost jumped out of the boat when a gull had squawked overhead. It had taken about ten minutes before the boy would let go of Ludwig's leg.

It was strange that Alfred put so much trust in Ludwig. They had known each other for less than a day, and their first meeting had involved Ludwig pointing a gun at the child. Now, Alfred looked to Ludwig as some sort of savior. Some savior. If Ludwig had not been so terrified of discovery, he could have at least packed some food, or maybe even stolen a better boat.

Looking over at Alfred's small form, he added extra clothing to the list of forgotten necessities. The lad was currently shivering in his pitiful excuse for an outfit, which included a hospital gown from the facility, a life jacket, and Ludwig's too-big jacket that was too thin to keep out the crisp chill of the night air or the sharp wind that blew over the ocean.

Ludwig hesitantly held out his arms and Alfred quickly responded by burrowing into Ludwig's chest. Alfred's quiet voice broke the silence of the night.

"Are we going to die?"

Ludwig was a bit shocked and tried to think of what to say to comfort the child, but said nothing. Ludwig had never been good with these situations. He was a military man, not a caregiver. He could drill the most uncooperative soldiers and turn them into an elite force. He could make battle plans, or shoot the bulls-eye out of a target. Yet, if his life depended on him comforting someone, if it depended on him tearing away the walls that years in training had forced him to build. He couldn't do it. He simply didn't know how.

Alfred sighed at Ludwig's silence, taking it as confirmation. He supposed it could have been worse. He could have died in the facility. Now, at least he would die in the company of someone who actually cared. Or at least he believed Ludwig cared. Why else would he save him? Alfred just hoped that Ludwig would make it somehow.

In the silence, Alfred began to think how he would die. He supposed he might die of hunger. They only fed him enough back at the facility to keep him alive and able to do the tests. Sometimes even less than that to see how far they could push him. If he died of starvation, it wouldn't be too bad.

Then again, maybe he would die from the cold that seemed to nip at him. Or maybe the boat would sink and he would drown. Or maybe he would accidentally fall in and a shark would eat him. Alfred had never seen a shark, but he had heard about them once. They were monsters with jagged teeth that could rip you to shreds.

Alfred looked up from Ludwig to scan the waters in search of a shark. If one came, he would warn Ludwig so that the man could save himself. But all Alfred could see was white vapor that was starting to engulf them. The white vapor seemed ominous and frightened Alfred to no end. He couldn't see the stars anymore. He couldn't see anything except for Ludwig and their little boat. How could he spot a shark now? How could he warn Ludwig? They were sitting ducks.

Ludwig had noticed the fog come in, and he sighed. Not much he could do about it though, as the engine was supposedly broken. At least it provided a sort of protection from search parties. Unless they had sonar...which they did.

Ludwig noticed Alfred's unease when the fog had come. He mentally facepalmed. Of course, Alfred had never been out of the facility before. All he would know would be the stories told by those who had once lived outside the terrible place. It was only natural that the boy would find fog intimidating. Before he could comfort the boy, though, Alfred let out a scream of pure terror.

Alfred had never been more afraid in his life. There, just an outline in the fog, was what must have been a shark, and it was massive! It towered above the height of the boat, and Alfred just knew that it would shred through the vessel and its passengers without so much as a thought.

Burrowing into Ludwig, Alfred awaited death. He could feel Ludwig tense, and then in a bizarre turn of events, Ludwig simply relaxed. Alfred felt a sense of awe at the man who could be so calm in the face of death. Either Ludwig was either very brave, or had gone insane.

After waiting for a few moments for his impending doom and finding himself still alive, Alfred tentatively opened his eyes to find that instead of a shark coming at them, there was a big ship. On the ship, Alfred could vaguely make out the forms of people running about. One was even leaning way over the side of the boat and waving at them. He was leaning so far out, in fact, that he fell into the water.

Ludwig groaned as the figure fell over into the water but couldn't keep the small smile off of his face. Fate seemed to be smiling over them for once. When he had seen the boat looming towards them through the fog, he had assumed that it was a party come to take Alfred back. Instead he was greeted with the sight of his cousin, Gilbert, who he had not seen in years. In fact it was Gilbert who had just fallen into the water and, by the looks of it, was swimming towards their small craft.

Alfred had, understandably, freaked out when Gilbert's gloved hands had grabbed the side of the boat and lifted the rest of him on board. Alfred had freaked out so much that he had grabbed the discarded instruction manual and started whacking Gilbert with it.

Gilbert's actions hadn't helped. Instead of staying still and letting Ludwig handle the situation, he had swooped down and grabbed Alfred by the shoulders before lifting him high into the air, cackling, "You have a kid and you didn't tell me?! Look at the little man! He has your eyes little cousin!"

Gilbert was then soundly kicked in the nose by a flailing leg. He dropped the kid at the sudden pain and doubled, over holding his face.

"Not cool! My beautiful face has taken a hit! Man down! Man down!"

With that lovely bit of theatrics, Gilbert had slumped down and "died," twitching for added effect.

Alfred simply stared down at Gilbert, book still raised in case the shark man should try to attack him again. He was more than a bit confused when Ludwig took the book away and started talking to the shark man - something about acting childish and deserving getting kicked. It sounded almost like Ludwig knew the shark man...which meant that Alfred had just killed one of Ludwig's friends.

At the sudden realization, Alfred broke down, sobbing and babbling out stuttered apologies. Ludwig was going to hate him now. What if he returned Alfred to the facilities?! The thought only made Alfred cry harder.

Ludwig was completely lost as the situation spiraled out of control. His cousin was still "dead," and Alfred was now crying and latching onto Ludwig's arm. Ludwig simply looked up to the sky with a look that seemed to say, "Why me?"


	3. Chapter 3

_(Here's the third chapter. I am getting these written as fast as I can, but I tend to write more when I feel inspired. So I apologize for any gaps in updates. Hope you enjoy._

 _Hetalia doesn't belong to me. Just putting that out there.)_

 **The Flight**

Chapter 3

It had taken a lot of coaxing to get Alfred to board the large vessel. Gilbert hadn't made the process any easier either. His antics were starting to give Ludwig a headache. Gilbert also wouldn't shut up about how he was so proud that Ludwig had finally started a family. In fact, he was still gushing about the fact as they stood on the deck. Honestly, if something didn't happen soon, Gilbert was going to find himself in the sea again!

Thankfully for Gilbert, something did happen. That something involved the sudden hug-tackling of Ludwig.

Ludwig let out a yelp at the sudden attack. Alfred let out a scream at the sight of Ludwig being attacked. The attacker turned at the sound of Alfred's scream and let out a high-pitch squeal. "Ludwig, your son is so cute!"

Ludwig finally recovered enough to turn around and see who had tackled him. His jaw hung open in shock. "...Feli?"

There, was Ludwig's childhood friend, Feliciano. He hadn't seen Feli since the two had been in high school. Was everyone he knew on this boat? Ludwig had a feeling that if there were fates, they'd be laughing at him.

Alfred's cries of terror brought Ludwig back to the present. The boy had tried to make a run for it when Feli had spotted him, but Alfred simply wasn't fast enough in his current condition. Feli had had little trouble scooping up the squirming child and swinging him around. This was soon followed by Alfred being crushed in a surprisingly strong embrace.

Alfred was confused. Everything was happening too fast. Was this man trying to hurt him? If the strange man killed him, what would Alfred's tombstone be like? Probably pretty lame, cause how many tombstones said, "Hugged to Death?" That would just be embarrassing. The thought made Alfred squirm all the more.

Seeing the boy's distress, Ludwig swooped in and snatched Alfred from Feli's grasp. Alfred hid his face in Ludwig's shirt, grateful for the man's familiar protection. Everyone around him was really freaking Alfred out.

Gilbert laughed at the peculiar scene before him. "Man, Ludwig! You are such a big papa bear!"

Ludwig tensed. "He's not my son."

The silence that followed was unnerving. It was finally broken by a growl coming from a certain boy's stomach.

Gilbert was quick to take charge of the situation. "Feli, take this famished little man down to the mess hall. I have a feeling that Francis might have something for him. Meanwhile, me and my cousin need to do some catching up."

Feli saluted good naturedly. "Yes sir, Mr. Captain sir!" He then attempted to take Alfred from Ludwig's grasp. Alfred was having none of that though.

"Noooo! I'm staying with Ludwig!" He hid his face into Ludwig's shirt again and clung to the man with an iron grip.

Ludwig sighed before setting the lad down. "Alfred, I need you to go with Feli. He's going to get you some food okay? Doesn't that sound good?"

Alfred started to tear up. "Can't you take me to the mess hall then?"

Ludwig shook his head. "I need to talk with my cousin, and you need some food in you."

Alfred looked skeptically at Gilbert. "Are you sure that you can trust the shark man?"

Ludwig nodded while trying to ignore the spluttering sounds coming from the "shark man." "Alfred, you can trust these people. They're good guys. I promise they won't hurt you."

Alfred looked deep into Ludwig's eyes, trying to find any lies in what the man was saying. When he found none, he slowly nodded his head in acceptance. He turned slowly and tentatively held out his hand to Feli. Feli took Alfred's small hand in his own and lead the boy down to the mess hall and to the promise of food.

Ludwig stared after Alfred until his cousin's voice brought him back to the situation at hand. "Shark man? Seriously?"

Ludwig hid a smirk. "It's your own fault you know, scaring him like that earlier."

Gilbert stuck his tongue out childishly. "That was me epicly diving in to save you two. Honestly, you should be more grateful."

Ludwig smirked. "So you falling into the ocean was planned? I thought you had tripped on your massive ego."

Gilbert clutched his heart in mock horror. "Oh Ludwig, you hurt me so! And to think I jumped into the drink just to see my beloved cousin again. I might as well just throw myself out there again. Maybe there they'll appreciate me. I'll have to marry a squid and start an underwater family. My children will be squid, human hybrids!"

His rant was interrupted as Ludwig smacked him upside the head. "Gilbert, you are such a drama queen. It's no wonder Alfred is so wary of you."

Gilbert rubbed his "injured" head and cast Ludwig a curious glance. "So, are you sure the kid's not yours?"

Ludwig glared at his cousin. "He is not mine. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Gilbert shrugged. "Probably to the end of time. It's kind of a bummer though. I was looking forward to being the awesome uncle.

Of course, only Gilbert would have that sort of logic, a flawed logic at that. "Gilbert, you are my cousin not my brother. Even if the child was my own, you wouldn't be his uncle. You would be his second cousin."

Gilbert stuck his tongue out at Ludwig again. "You are such a stick in the mud Ludwig! So anyways, seeing as he isn't your kid, where _did_ you pick up the pipsqueak?"

Ludwig considered his options. As much as he got annoyed with his cousin, he did trust him a great deal. Yet, how would he react if Ludwig told him about the facility, and how he had been working in such a horrid place for over three years.

In the end, Ludwig told Gilbert everything. Gilbert, surprisingly, didn't interrupt. As the final words left Ludwig he looked warily at Gilbert. Surely his cousin would now see him as a monster. He wouldn't blame him for doing so either. What Ludwig did not expect though, was for Gilbert to hug him.

Gilbert then ruined the happy moment by putting Ludwig into a headlock and giving him a massive noogie. "Geeze, brighten up a bit Lud! Now let's get some chow before Feli eats it all!" With that, Gilbert sauntered of towards the mess hall.

Ludwig hung back a bit. He reached up and tried to straighten his now messed up hair. He could never really understand his rambunctious cousin. His cousin's shouts to hurry it up already brought Ludwig out of his thoughts. His cousin was certainly a mystery, but life wouldn't be the same without him.

He picked up his pace until he was walking side by side with his cousin. Gilbert threw an arm around Ludwig's shoulder and started babbling about how amazing his ship was. Ludwig felt himself smile a bit. Things were really starting to look up for himself and Alfred now. He just hoped that their luck would hold.


	4. Chapter 4

(Hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Sorry this took so long. My computer was being difficult. As before, I do not own Hetalia. With that out of the way, I hope you find this chapter to your liking.)

 **The Flight**

Chapter 4

Ludwig and Gilbert felt like they had entered a war zone.

Feli and Francis, the cook, were trying to hold back an overly cheerful Spaniard who seemed set on hugging the life out of the adorable new child - the adorable child being Alfred. Alfred, in response, was cowering behind a table, occasionally throwing rolls at the men.

Gilbert grinned wickedly before "epicly" somersaulting behind the table. Alfred, seeing this as an attack, started hurling anything that he could reach at Gilbert, point blank range. And of course Gilbert decided to play "dead" again.

This might have gone on if Ludwig hadn't decided to step in at that point. He took in a deep breath before giving out an thunderous shout. "THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze. Well, everyone except for Alfred. He ran over and hid behind Ludwig. Ludwig put a comforting hand on Alfred's head. His eyes though were hardened as he glared at the other adults in the room.

Gilbert, sensing the tense atmosphere, started introductions. "Well, I suppose now is the perfect time for everyone to get to know each other. You know, have a session of kumbaya around the old campfire, trust exercises and whatnot." Gilbert gestured to the blond, wavy haired, Frenchman. "This is Francis! He's our amazing cook. We were lucky to grab him when we did! You already know Feli. He's our public relations go-to guy. In other words, he is our financer for our lovely voyages. Well, technically him and his brother, but his brother always gets seasick, and it's a pain to clean up the mess he makes on the deck." A glare from Ludwig brought Gilbert of off his tangent. Gilbert quickly gestured to the Spaniard who was still being held back by Feli and Francis. "And finally, we have Antonio. He's our navigator extraordinaire with a weakness for cute things!"

Gilbert then turned to his crew. "I'm sure you all have seen the little ankle biter. His name's Alfred. Be careful around him or this man -" Gilbert casually put his arm around Ludwig's shoulder, "- will go all papa-bear on you all; yes Antonio, I'm talking to you. Oh, and his name is Ludwig. He's my cousin by the way."

The crew, other than Feli, seemed shocked at the statement. Ludwig groaned inwardly. He could only imagine what embarrassing stories his cousin had told. This was certainly going to be an interesting voyage.

After a moderate amount of cleaning and the straightening up of furniture, a delicious, if somewhat plain, meal of a simple stew and french bread was finally set out for everyone. Francis apologized for the lack of quality as they had yet to restock their food supplies.

The crew dug in heartily, though a bit annoyed at the lack of fresh food on board to give their new voyagers a proper feast. All through this, Alfred simply stared at the food before him. Cautiously, as though fearing that it would disappear or possibly harm him, he copied the other members of the crew by dipping his bread into the stew and tentatively took a bite.

Tears filled the lad's eyes as flavor filled his mouth. So this is what actual food tasted like. Not the paste-like substance that he had eaten his entire life. No this food had texture. This food had life. It was beautiful. With tears of joy running down his face, Alfred attacked his food like an animal.

Gilbert laughed at the sight before patting the kid on the back. "Slow down there, short stuff! The food isn't going to run away."

Francis looked concerned. "I know my cooking is good, but this is simply bread and stew. You eat as though you have never eaten a meal in your life!"

Alfred nodded before going back to eating his food at a slightly slower pace, enjoying each bite until there was nothing left. He then proceeded to lick the bowl clean.

Ludwig sighed. "At the facility, the 'subjects' are fed a paste-like substance. It is rich in vitamins and minerals but is flavorless. So in a way, no, Alfred has never eaten an actual meal like this in his life."

The crew gaped at the notion. Francis slowly walked to Alfred's side as not to startle the child. "Is that true?" Alfred nodded distractedly in his search for any remaining crumbs. Francis wrapped the boy in a tentative embrace. "As long as I am the cook on this ship, I promise that you will never eat a crumb that isn't made with love. As of this day, you will eat like a king!"

Francis was true to his word. Every day, he would get up early to make a special meal just for Alfred. He crafted sweets and the finest cuisines out of what was available. Each time Alfred ate, the lad's eyes would fill with wonder at the many different flavors. Needless to say, Alfred got along very well with the French cook.

Ludwig would have been lying if he said he wasn't a bit jealous of the attention Alfred was giving Francis. Then again, it was good that Alfred was opening up to other people. Especially people like the crew, who Ludwig trusted. Yet, this peace didn't sit well with Ludwig. It was like they were sitting in the eye of a storm, and it was only a matter of time before disaster struck. Sadly, he was right.

The "storm" struck out of the blue. In the early morning a ship, bearing the facility's crest, was spotted by Gilbert. Ludwig and Alfred were ushered down to the lower decks by Feli, who lifted up a panel on the floor to reveal a hidden storage unit. Ludwig was a bit skeptical. "Feli, what is this? Wait, is this used for smuggling?!"

Feli smiled nervously. "Ha, funny story. I'll let your cousin tell you later, now get in!"

Ludwig and Alfred reluctantly entered the cramped space. The light disappeared as soon as Feli replaced the floor board. Alfred clung tightly to Ludwig's side as the waiting game began.

Silence reigned for what seemed like an eternity before the ominous sounds of heavy footsteps on the floor board above their heads made Alfred squeak out in surprise. His mouth was quickly covered up by Ludwig's large hand. The attempt to quell Alfred's voice was in vain though, as the footsteps stopped suddenly.

Slowly, the floor board above their heads lifted up. Ludwig held Alfred closely to him as the light momentarily blinded him. When he could see though, he was surprised to be looking at an equally surprised familiar face of Kiku. The man that Ludwig had thought to be dead after aiding in their escape.

Kiku smiled and opened his mouth to only to have his eyes roll up into his head before tumbling down into the enclosure with the two. Standing where Kiku had stood only a moment ago was Feli holding a wrench. "A..are you two okay?"

Ludwig's jaw fell open in shock. "Did you just hit him over the head with a wrench?"

Feli looked down at them in shock. "I did! I can't believe I did that?! Do you think he's okay? I mean, I came down here to make sure that the guards that boarded had all left, and then I saw this guy opening the secret smugg...um…I mean, hiding...compartment…thing. Anyways, I didn't want to alert him that I was behind him, and my hands just kind of reached for the wrench I had in my belt!"

Ludwig held up his hand and tried to calm down the blabbering Italian. "It's okay! He's a friend! You can stop freaking out now!"

Feli brightened up a bit. "Oh, that's good! If he's a friend of yours, then he's a friend of mine! I'll go get him an icepack for his head and inform the captain!"

Feli raced off, leaving Ludwig with the task of getting himself, Alfred, and Kiku out of the "hiding compartment." To make matters more difficult, Alfred wouldn't let go of Ludwig. He was like a koala, or maybe a small, underfed monkey fit him better.

Ludwig had no sooner gotten everyone out of the cramped space when Gilbert decided to swoop in. "Hiya, little cousin!"

Ludwig simply graced Gilbert with a glare. "Want to tell me why you have a smuggler's hole on your ship?"

Gilbert tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Nah, not really. Besides, it saved your guys' butts, so I wouldn't be complaining if I were you."

Ludwig had to resist the urge to face-palm. How was he even related to this person?!

Gilbert, meanwhile, had gone over to Kiku's still form and decided to poke him with his boot. "So this is the friend of yours that Feli knocked out, huh? Well, let's get him to the place of horror." With that Gilbert lifted up the small Japanese man as if he weighed no more than a sack of potatoes.

Ludwig looked up at Gilbert in shock. What did he mean, place of horror? Was Gilbert going to torture Kiku for information? Was he just going to kill him?! Gilbert was apparently smuggling already; could it be that Gilbert was more than just that? Could his cousin be part of some criminal underground society?!

It turned out the place of horror was the infirmary. Ludwig didn't know whether to sigh or to laugh. He settled with giving Gilbert a "seriously?" look.

Gilbert was ignoring his cousin as he set Kiku down hurriedly on one of the beds before racing out of the room, making a sign to ward of evil as he reached the doorway. Ludwig stored this information down for future use.

Seeing that he was the only one there to care for the unconscious man, Ludwig set to work checking Kiku for any injuries. Well, any injuries other than the large bump on his head. Kiku had some dark bruises on his hands and legs, as well as a suspicious scratch on his side. What had happened?


End file.
